Trails of Blood
by KaedeKatsura
Summary: Erika is a young Stormcloak soldier, but after being captured by the Legion she is given a unique way in which to redeem herself in both the eyes of the law and her beloved brother. She must destroy the Dark Brotherhood from the inside, but as she is drawn further into the Brotherhood, she begins to question her loyalty, and who her true family is.
1. Chapter 1: Bargaining

_**Summery: **Erika is a young Stormcloak soldier, but after being captured by the Legion she is given a unique way in which to redeem herself in both the eyes of the law and her beloved brother. She must destroy the Dark Brotherhood from the inside, but as she is drawn further into the Brotherhood, she begins to question her loyalty, and who her true family is._

_**Genres:** Family, hurt & comfort, drama, possibly romance in future chapters._

* * *

**Chapter 1: Bargaining**

"I don't know, I swear, I don't know!" The blonde Breton girl chained to the table cried in agony as her limbs where stretched further and further apart. Commander Maro frowned. They'd been at this for hours, trying to torture the girl into blabbing the next moves of the Stormcloak forces, no such luck however. The girl was surprisingly stubborn, even when exposed to the equipment in the secret torture chamber below Castle Dour. It was rarely used now, but the war with the rebels had caused for desperate measures. When enemy soldiers were captured alive, their fate was worse than a sentence in the dungeons, and just because the most resent captive was a girl wouldn't change anything. She was very short, only slightly taller than 5 foot and the ragged tunic she was wearing clung to her slim frame, her blonde hair reached her shoulders, and she had large blue-grey eyes. The Breton had been in and out of this room day after day, but never revealed any secrets of Ulfrics plans.

"Okay" said the Commander. "Tighten the chains." The dungeon master turned the large wooden wheel and the chains attached to the girls arms and legs were stretched further apart. She screamed, and tears formed in her eyes.

"Tell me, what are the rebels' next moves?"

"Please, I don't know. I'm nothing," she gasped through tears of pain "Ulfric wouldn't have trusted me with anything important, he doesn't even know I exist."

Suddenly, a loud knock from the door echoed around the otherwise quiet room.

"Who is it?" Maro barked.

"Commander Ciel, Sir."

"Come in."

The heavy wooden door was pushed open by the soldier. He was twenty-seven, young for a commander in the imperial legion of Skyrim, well respected by all, and a brave fighter. They had gotten drinks together in the Winking Skeever the night before with a few other members of the Penitus Oculatus and Skyrims branch of the Legion. Maro liked him, he was funny and intelligent, had a sort of infectious charm exclusive to his race.

"What do you need?" Maro asked the light haired man.

"I heard you had a new prisoner, and I may have some… Information for you."

Ciel walked past Maro to the table to which the prisoner was chained.

"Unbelievable." He said. "Look at you. You're a disgrace, to our family and to yourself." Ciel spat at the girl.

The prisoner remained silent.

"May I ask what this is about?" Maro asked.

"She's my sister, Erika." Ciel answered, turning away from her. "A disgrace to our family-"

"I'm not a disgrace, Luca!" the prisoner shouted suddenly. Commander Ciel looked back in response to his first name. "Our father helped Ulfric and the Stormcloaks during the Markarth incident, now your betraying him and our family, our father!" she cried.

"The reason we sided with the Stormcloaks is because we had no choice. It was that or our entire family would be killed. Don't you dare try to pretend that you understand, Erika."

"Enough!" Maro interrupted the arguing siblings. "This won't get us any closer to stopping the Stormcloaks. Commander Ciel, may I speak with you for a few moments." The two men headed to the other end of the room, out of Erikas earshot. She watched them; wishing her brother would look at her, look at her without hatred in his eyes. After what felt like hours, Ciel turned and left the chamber and Maro returned to the dungeon master who had remained silent for most of the ordeal.

"Loosen the chains; I think I know what to do with our little rebel here." Maro smirked as Erika frowned in confusion. The dungeon master loosened the binds that were slowly pulling Erika apart, he used a piece of rope to bind her wrists together before dragging her and pushing her roughly into a wooden chair beside a table with an open book resting on it. Maro looked down at the book, used to record which prisoner had been in the chamber and when. Maro crossed out the series of numbers used to keep track of the previously anonymous blonde prisoner and scrawled down her name before looking at her, tied to the chair.

"So, Erika, your brother tells me you're from Markarth, but ran away. Why?" Maro asked her.

"He hates me; so I left. Anything else is none of your business" She said, venom evident in her words.

"I'd watch my tone if I were you, friend, or I may reconsider what I'm about to give you." Erika looked up, locking her blue eyes with Maros dark ones. "I hear your currently living in Riften, and you're due to be married." He said.

Erika couldn't hide her surprise, her brother must have told him, but she hadn't invited him to her wedding... Her mother must have told him. Erikas mother didn't support either the Empire or the Stormcloaks, her neutrality was mostly a compromise to prevent her family totally falling apart. Erika appreciated it; she didn't want to lose her. She loved her mother dearly and wanted her at her wedding, she hadn't expected, however, for her to tell her brother about it.

"Yes, I am. What of it?" Erika asked suspiciously, she didn't like where this was going.

"I think you should listen to what I have to offer if you ever want to have that wedding, or see you friends or family again." Maro said bluntly. He saw the fear flash across the Bretons blue eyes.

"I'm listening…" She said.

"What do you know of the Dark Brotherhood?" the dark haired man asked. Erika couldn't hide her surprise and confusion at the question that was placed to her, seemingly out of the blue.

"Well, I know they're assassins, they're criminals… I pity them, I guess… Ulfric didn't pay any attention to them, if that's what you want to know. He had more important things on his mind."

"No, no, Erika. This has nothing to do with the Stormcloaks." Maro said. "But, like the Stormcloaks, the Brotherhood is a problem. A problem the Penitus Oculatus wants eradicated before the Emperors visit to Skyrim in a few months."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"Well, the Empire can't just let you walk right out of Castle Dour and back into the world, there'd be uproar, fellow prisoners demanding their freedom too, you understand. So we'll need you to do something for us before we let you go for good."

"Well, what do you want me to do, and what does the Dark Brotherhood have to do with it?"

"We, the Empire, need you, Erika, to destroy the Dark Brotherhood." Maro stated. He saw the look of surprise on both the girl and the usually emotionless dungeon masters face.

"I… I'm afraid I'm still confused, why me? Why not send a group of soldiers to destroy the Brotherhood? And what in Oblivion makes you think_ I'll_ be able to do it?

"The reason we can't sent our own men is because we don't know where the Brotherhood is holed up" Maro answered. "And even if we did, we can't just barge in and butcher everyone there, we need to know exactly who is in the Brotherhood, if we don't some of the members will probably survive, someone we may not suspect as an assassin, and the Brotherhood will simply start up again, that is what happened a few years ago the last time we tried to destroy them. We killed most of the male members, but we let two young girls go. They must have restarted the Brotherhood elsewhere and recruited new members.

"So you want me to join the Brotherhood, learn about the members, and hand them over to you.

"Simply, yes."

"What if I say no?"

Maro frowned at Erika. "Well, if you make that highly idiotic decision, we'll kill you. You're seen as a traitor for being a member of the Stormcloaks, and the penalty is death." He watched the girls face fall.

"… Okay, I'll do it." Erika said, barely above a whisper. "I'll do it."

"Good. But I'll warn you, Erika Ceil." The use of her full name caused her to look up at the Commander.

"If you try to run, there won't be a single, solitary, hole in all of Skyrim that you can hide in. We _will_ find you if you try to escape. We will expect a weekly update on your endeavours sent via courier, and if you fail to update for more than three weeks we'll assume you've tried to escape, and if that happens we'll kill your family, including your fiancée. Then we'll find you and we'll kill you, too." Maro watched the fear fill Erikas face. He didn't want to threaten her family with death, especially considering that included her brother. But it was the only way he could be certain of her loyalty. "Do we have a deal?"

* * *

Erika stood by the wooden door leading from the Castle Dour dungeon to Solitude, watching the guard intently as he gathered her belongings from the chest in which prisoners possessions where kept. He silently handed Erika her light, leather armour and the bag in which she had various items like her money, potions, a few gems and pieces of enchanted jewellery. He also returned an elven bow and the various types of arrows she'd been carrying. He was surprised a Breton favoured the bow, rather than magic, but he didn't question it, there was something about the way the Breton stood and the expression on her pale features that made the guard not want to rile her.

"Okay, that's the last of it." He said.

"Thanks…" She said quietly before turning and pushing open the door.

As soon as Erika stepped outside she wanted to run, to get as far away from Solitude as possible. But no, not yet, she had a job to do. She knew little about the mysterious goings on of the Dark Brotherhood. If she was back in Winterhold (where she'd gone straight after leaving Markarth), the library in the College would probably have some old, dusty tomes on the subject, not that Erika would have read them. Erika avoided reading if she could, it bored her beyond belief. Even whilst studying illusion magic in Winterhold. It was one of the many reasons she left, she got sick of sitting in her room, reading boring books about boring theories thought of by boring people. She had never finished her official studies of magic with the College, but through practical use, she had mastered what she did know. This had only happened about three years ago, but it felt like a lifetime. After that, she headed south, to Riften. She had a pleasant life there. She became a member of the Stormcloaks in The Rift and she met her fiancée. She'd been so looking forward to her wedding; it was set for a day in early Last Seed, the height of Skyrims summer. It would be the warmest part of Skyrims year, and the forests surrounding Riften would be a beautiful background to what should be the happiest day of her life. That wasn't going to happen now, though (with this new mission of hers, there would be no point in getting married if she didn't know if she'd ever even _see_ her husband again). The Imperial forces had launched an attack on Fort Greenwall, where she'd been stationed. She had managed to hide in the shadows until the worst of the fighting was over. It was cowardly, and she wasn't proud of it, but she'd survived, lived to see another day. She'd been imprisoned in Castle Dour for over two weeks; she feared that after the imperials figured out that she had no knowledge of the Stormcloaks next moves they'd kill her.

It was probably her brother, Luca Ciel, commander in the legion, pride and joy of her whole, extended family, who saved her life when he spoke to Commander Maro in the torture chamber earlier that day. She loved her older brother dearly, but he hated her, this damn war had driven a rift between them. But the reparations of her family bonds would have to be put on hold for now. She had to figure out how to join the Dark Brotherhood, join them and take them down from the inside. It would be difficult, but she knew the consequences. This was running through her head, as she pushed open the door to the Winking Skeever Inn. She headed up to the bar and sat on one of the tall, wooden stools.

"Hello, friend." Said the innkeeper. "What can I get you?"

"I'll have a bottle of Black-Briar mead, please." She'd grown fond of the stuff during her life in Riften. "Can I rent a room too, please?"

"Sure." Replied the innkeeper. Her fished a key out of his pocket and handed it to her. "So" She said, taking a drink of her mead "Heard any rumours lately?" She didn't think he'd have anything of interest to tell her, but what he said next almost made her spit out her drink.

"Well, I've heard that a boy in Windhelm is trying to contact the Dark Brotherhood. He's inviting evil into that city."

"I-is that so!" Erika said surprised. "Do you have his name?"

"Er… Aventus… Aventus Aretino, I think."

"Thanks, that's very… Interesting…" Erika said, pondering this new information.

She drained her bottle of mead and left a few extra coins to thank the innkeeper. She left the bar and headed up the stairs to the room she'd rented. She shut the door behind her and threw her bag on the floor. She changed into her leather armour, gloves and boots. Instead of a helmet she put on a circlet with an enchantment to improve her archery. She sat for a few moments. Despite just draining an entire bottle of mead, she was still thirsty, her throat felt dry and parched. She knew why, and hated it, but she had no choice, she couldn't go on like this. She rose from the edge of the bed and silently slipped out of the door. She walked slowly across the hall and pressed her ear against the door of the room across from hers. Yes, someone was inside, she could hear the soft breathing of her sleeping victim and a fresh wave of thirst washed over her.

* * *

_That's the first chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. It's been ages since I last wrote anything so I hope that didn't suck too bad ^.^" I wanted to use this chapter to introduce Erika and talk a little about her past, the Brotherhood will be in the next chapter, I promise! I would love it if I got a few reviews, maybe with some critiquing, I do want to improve after all. It also reassures me that I'm not just wasting time writing XD and if you spot any spelling or grammatical errors that I might have missed, I'd be thankful if you could tell me! Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2: Travelling

**Chapter 2: Travelling  
**

The lock was tricky enough to break, Erika was surprised she didn't snap more than the four pick she did. Of course, it was also possible that Erika simply found it hard due to her lack of lock-picking skills. She had never been good with skills that required quick hands; she'd never really needed them, after all. Guarding The Rift usually required killing bears and bandits, not lock breaking and pickpocketing. Once she felt the lock opening she released a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and slipped silently into the room. She crouched and slipped through the shadows to her sleeping victim, she caught the scent of Nordic blood. To normal man and mer blood had no smell and would probably taste the same, regardless of race. But to a vampire there were distinct flavours to each race and province of Tamriel. This particular sleeping form had a sickly sweet smell hanging over them, like honey. The fair-haired Breton let a small smirk cross her face, the blood of Nords was (to Erika, anyway) far more enjoyable then the bitter flavours of her own race or the heated spiciness of Redguards. She brushed the, short, fair hair of the sleeping woman off her neck and leaned in closely before biting down softly on the exposed skin. The bit would sting momentarily before the vampiric venom kicked in, this was confirmed when the figure on the bed let out a low moan. The relationship between vampires and mortals had existed for thousands of years and the venom now coursing through the Nords veins had adapted to make that relationship a pleasurable one for both vampire and victim. Erika was thankful for it, if it was painful for the victim, Erika probably wouldn't have the stomach to drain people of their blood and she would have either starved to death or have been killed by guards or vampire hunters years ago. She'd never asked for this curse, but she'd learned to live with it.

Once her thirst was satisfied she slipped out of the room and back to her own, licking the honey sweet liquid from her lips. She sat on the soft bed, with her thirst satisfied she realized just how tired she was.

_I'll head out for Windhelm in the morning_, she thought as her head sunk into the soft, down filled pillows_. _

_I'll speak to this Aventus and find out what he knows._ She curled into a ball, and she felt herself slip into Vaerminas realm.

* * *

The journey from Solitude to Windhelm was going to be a long one. Erika's horse, Ghost, was strong and was used to traveling long distances in harsh terrain but crossing the entire province was another thing entirely. Erika eventually made the decision to travel to Whiterun, spent the night there and head on to Windhelm the next day. This would avoid the mountainous and cold hold of The Pale. Erika travelled light; she sold all her unwanted goods at various stalls and stores in Solitude. She had always been good with people and got a good price for the various bits and pieces she had picked up on her travels, more than enough to get her to Windhelm.

It was late evening when she arrived in Whiterun. The Bannered Mare was crowded, as usual, but most of the drinkers were crowded around one table in the corner, listening to whoever was sitting there. Erika pushed her way through the crowd until she could see.

"It flew in from behind the mountain and just burned Helgen to the ground. It was like something out of a nightmare!"

The speaker was a dark-haired Nord, clad in iron armour and his horned helmet was resting on the table in front of him. Opposite him was another Nord, this one had blond hair and was wearing the armour of the Stormcloaks.

"Some are saying it was Ulfrics doing, but I doubt even he could pull that off." The lighter haired man said.

"I wouldn't be surprised. He can use the Thu'um after all." The dark haired man continued "He shouted the High King to death then practically walked right out of Solitude. The guards were too terrified to do anything. Ulfric has power. There's no doubt about that."

"Pardon me," Erika quietly said to the barmaid standing beside her "But what's this about Helgen?"

"Didn't you hear? A dragon attacked! It burned the place to the ground, only a handful of survivors. The Imperials had finally caught Ulfric and he was about to be put to death when the beast appeared so some folk think he had something to do with it."

"I'm sorry; I must have heard you wrong, did you say a dragon?"

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. Those two men survived, one is from Riverwood and the other was crossing in from Cyrodiil. They're going to speak with the Jarl tomorrow."

Erika paid the woman for the key to one of the rooms and headed up to sleep. She was a sceptic by nature, and the rumours of dragons were probably no more than that, rumours. But on the off chance that they did exist, it could be used to her advantage at some point in the future.

* * *

It was early afternoon before Erika came to a rather unusual scene in the middle of the road. A red-haired Imperial was standing by a wooden cart; one of the front wheels had broken clean off and the cart was slumped in a ditch. On the back of the cart was a large, wooden box. If this wasn't strange enough the Imperial was wearing a red and black jesters outfit, in her entire life Erika had not once seen a jester. She tightened her grip on Ghost's reins and the grey mare slowed to a halt.

"Agh! Bother and befuddle! Stuck here! Poor mother is stuck!" the jester exclaimed, throwing his arms up in frustration.

"Er… Hello. Can I help you?" Erika said, taken aback by the odd man's loud exclamations of frustration.

"Ahh! Yes, you see, poor Cicero is stuck. I was transporting my dear, sweet, mother. Well, not her, her corpse. She's quite dead. I was taking her to a new home, but the damn wagon wheel! Broken! But the kindly stranger can help Cicero. The kindly stranger can talk to Loreius at his farm. He has tools, tools he won't let Cicero use! He says Cicero is" His voice fell to a whisper "Mad."

"You don't say." Erika said sarcastically. "But I'll see what I can do."

The jester sprung into the air and began to dance with glee.

"Thank you, thank you kind and sweet stranger! Cicero will reward you! Reward you with shiny, sparkly coin"

"Right then." Erika muttered as she kicked Ghost onwards. She was suspicious, she wouldn't deny it. The jester seemed harmless enough, but a madman dragging a coffin containing his dead mother wasn't exactly… Normal. And with the civil war and rumours of dragons, she wasn't surprised Loreius had been hesitant to help the stranger. The blonde stopped by the farmhouse porch. The man she assumed was Loreius was leaning against the wall, staring into space.

"Oh, for the love of Mara. What now?" The Imperial groaned as Erika halted.

"The man at the end of the road needs tools. Can we borrow them? He's trying to fix his wagon."

"Tell me something I don't know. The crazy fool can't take no for an answer."

"Come on" Erika said "He's trying to bring his dead mother home. Surely you understand?"

"Ha! His dead mother, my arse! There could be anything in that box, war contraband, weapons, skooma. I'm not getting involved."

"He's a stranger who needs help. Can't you just do the right thing? You worship Mara? The goddess of compassion!" Erika said, determined to sway his mind.

"I… Yes, you're right. He needs help and I'm not being fair. Tell him I'm sorry and I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Excellent, I'm glad that was straightened out." The Breton turned and trotted back to the end of the road. Cicero was sitting cross-legged on the road.

"Loreius will be down in a few minutes with the tools to help." Cicero bounced to his feet.

"Oh, thank you, thank you kind lady! You've made Cicero and mother so very happy," He look Erikas hand and planted a kiss on it.

"Here's some shiny, clinky coin for your troubles."

"Thanks, but give it to Loreius. I don't need it."

"Both kind and generous! Cicero likes you. Perhaps we'll meet again someday, friend!"

Erika turned her horse and urged her on.

"I hope we will, Cicero. Farewell!" the horse began a steady trot down the road towards Windhelm. Despite what she said, the jester was weird, creepy. She'd consider herself blessed if she'd never have to see him again.

* * *

If Erika had known how cold Windhelm would be, she would have worn warmer clothes. Her leather armour was old and tattered and the crisp air was biting at her skin. She hurried around the city, searching for the Aretino house. Windhelm was big, and she'd gotten lost several times. The sun was slinking further towards the horizon and Erika was about to give up when a dark elf stormed past, dragging a young boy of about ten by the wrist.

"I want to see if Aventus wants to come out and play! He's always inside, he must be lonely."

"No, child, that boy is cursed, inviting evil into the city! You keep away from him!"

"But I-"

"No buts! Now it's getting dark and your parents will be wondering where you are."

Erika took off running down the road they came until coming to the supposed Aretino household. She placed her hand on the door handle and, to her surprise, the door was unlocked. She pushed open the creaking door slowly. The house reeked strongly of blood and death, a smell Erika was only too familiar with.

"Sweet Mother, sweet Mother send your child unto me for the sins of the unworthy must be baptised in blood and fear." The voice was that of a young boy. It was unearthly, like the child was under some sort of trance. Erika peered around the corner in which he was crouching. The sight was unholy. Young Aventus was hunched over a human skeleton surrounded by candles. There was what seemed to be a heart under the rib-cage of the body and the boy was plunging a knife into a pile of flesh. The air was ripe with the stench of decay and blood. It was truly disturbing, something out of a nightmare. Erika shut her eyes and breathed deeply.

"Calm down" she whispered to herself before stepping from the shadows. The boy looked up when he heard the sound of footsteps. A smile broke out across his face.

"Wow!" he exclaimed "The Black Sacrament, it really worked! I've been here for ages doing the Sacrament with the body and the knife and everything, and now you're here! An assassin from the Dark Brotherhood!"

"Uh, Yes! I am, what do you require, my child" Erika said, improvising as she spoke.

"Well, my mother, she died. And the Jarls steward sent me to that damn orphanage in Riften, Honorhall. The woman in charge is Grelod the Kind. But she's not kind; she's horrible to all of us!"

"So, you require the death of Grelod?"

"Yes, I'll pay you well. Please help me."

"Yes, I shall, child."

Aventus' face lit up, for the second time since Erika had set out on this quest, she was disturbed. How Aventus looked so happy to have ordered the death of someone seemed so corrupt for a young child.

_Anyone involved with the Brotherhood is corrupt. Corrupt beyond the point of help._ Erika thought.

* * *

It was pleasant to be back in Riften. But being recognisable would be foolish. This wasn't a happy return to the city she considered home. This was business, and dirty, evil business at that. Erika wore a long black robe and hood into the city. It was about ten o'clock at night, so lurking in the shadows was easy and slipping past the guards was no problem. Honorhall was directly opposite Erika's house, Honeyside. She considered stopping by to leave some of her belongings there. But she couldn't, what if Cynric was there…

_It was a cold morning in early Sun's Dawn and Erika was stationed at her usual post, standing by the entrance to the Temple of Mara. She was still half asleep when, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a hooded figure slipping a gold ring out of her pocket, from right under her nose. She grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him to his feet to take the thief to the dungeons. Unfortunately, her lack of physical strength had the thief laughing at her attempts to do her job._

"_What's so damn funny?" She snapped._

"_Nothing, great and noble town guard." He answered sarcastically through tears of laughter at the pathetic excuse for a guard._

"_I can just get someone else to haul you off to the dungeons, so I don't know what you're laughing at."_

"_Okay, I'm sorry." He stopped laughing, but there was still a smirk on his face. He couldn't take this short, blonde girl seriously._

"_I'm still going to tell the other guards."_

"_Would you forgive me if I took you out for drinks later at the Bee and Barb?"_

"_Why would I want to go for drinks with you, thief." She answered, folding her arms and frowning._

"_Well, you're wearing this." the strange thief ran his fingers over the circular amulet around Erika's neck, admiring the light blue stone set in the centre._

_Damn. She thought. She couldn't believe she forgot to take this stupid thing off. A friend had given it to her last night as a joke._

"_Interested in me, are you?" Erika asked sarcastically, eyebrows raised and a smirk on her face. "I don't even know your name."_

"_Cynric" He said "Cynric Endell."_

Erika smiled. The memory of her first meeting with her fiancée was the happiest of her life in Riften. There were more, of course, like her first visit to the Ragged Flagon and meeting the other thieves there, each with their own unique stories to tell. She wasn't an actual member of the guild, but she was friends with most of the members (well, apart from Vex and Sapphire, although Sapphire seemed to be becoming a little more friendly) and she was always welcome at the Flagon. She loved them like family.

_I'll miss them. _She thought. She pushed the door to the opening into the orphanage and slipped into the shadows.

* * *

"Well, Grelod the Kind. Is she… You know?" Aventus asked.

"Yes, she… She is."

"Aha! I knew you could do it! I knew the Dark Brotherhood would come and save me! Here, this should fetch you a nice price" Aventus handed the blonde girl an old, silver plate. It would probably sell for about 50 gold to the right buyer. "And thank you again." He said as she headed out the door.

The night outside was freezing. But Erika didn't feel it as she walked to the Candlehearth Inn, the guilt she felt from killing Grelod had haunted her for the entire journey back to Windhelm. She hadn't expected it to, she was a solider and she'd shot down countless imperials since being posted at Fort Greenwall earlier in the year. She couldn't understand why she'd been so able to kill so many so easily on the battlefield and why taking Grelods life had affected her so deeply. Was it the fact that Grelod (despite being a truly horrible person) was completely defenceless as the knife had been plunged into her back? Maybe it was the loss of anonymity? Killing nameless hordes on the battlefield was certainly different to killing someone whom you knew the name of. Whilst she couldn't put a finger on it, there was something different about these assassinations as compared to simply fighting on the battlefield. If she'd known about it she wouldn't have been so willing to do Commander Maros bidding.

_Crap, I have to write to him… I'll do it in the morning. _

All the thoughts swimming around Erika's head began to fade when her head hit the pillow of the bed in the Inn.

"_What should I tell him? I'm not even in the Brotherhood yet. I haven't really accomplished anything."_

She didn't have time to come up with an answer before she drifted into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

The wood was hard and cold under Erika. Her head throbbed as she sat up and her vision was blurred. She could barely see the room she was now in, and it certainly wasn't her room at the Candlehearth inn. It was what seemed like an old house or cottage and it stank of blood.

"Sleep well?" Erika sat bolt upright at the sound of a voice coming from the corner. She turned, seeking the source of the voice. A woman was sitting on top of an old, wooden bookshelf. She held onto the beam above her to prevent her from falling off and her left leg dangled over the edge. Her face was masked but in the dim candlelight Erika could make out eyes the colour of sapphires.

"W-What? Where am I? Who are you?" Erika asked, dazed and confused.

"Does it matter? You're warm, dry and still very much alive. That's more than can be said for old Grelod. Hmm?" The stranger's voice was like a cat's purr.

"You know about that?" Erika wasn't sure to be thrilled that she'd caught the attention of someone who seemed to be a member of the Dark Brotherhood, or absolutely terrified.

"Half of Skyrim knows. Old hag gets butchered in her own orphanage. Things like that tend to get around. Don't misunderstand, I'm not criticising. It was a good kill. Old crone had it coming. And you saved a group of urchins, to boot. But there is a slight… Problem."

"A problem?"

"You see, the Aretino boy was looking for the Dark Brotherhood. For me, and my associates. Grelod the Kind was, by all rights, a Dark Brotherhood contract. A kill that you stole. A kill you must repay."

"You want me to kill someone else?" A wave of nausea swept over Erika. She didn't want to have to kill another defenceless person. There was no honour in that, it felt like cheating.

"Well, funny you should ask. If you turn around you'll notice my guests" The assassin gestured to three figures, hunched over with their limbs bound together and hoods covering their faces.

"I've collected them from… Well that's not really important. The here and now. That's what's important. You see, there's a contact out on one of them and they can't leave this room alive. But which one? Go on; see if you can figure it out. Make your choice. Make your kill. I just want to observe… And admire."

Erika breathed deeply, trying to calm herself in preparation for the act she was about to perform. She walked slowly across the shack to the hostages, looking them over as she went. There was a Nord man, dressed in armour. He told Erika he was a sell-sword. That he'd killed a lot of people under orders. Erika understood, he really didn't deserve to die. Even if it was him with the contract on his head, the Breton knew that if she killed a fellow soldier with their limbs bound and no means of defence and begging for their life she'd never forget it. The guilt would tear her apart.

The second hostage was a woman. She was rude, demanding her release. Would someone really want another person dead over bad manners? Erika doubted it. Plus, this woman said she had a family, children. She couldn't kill someone with a family. But then again, most of the imperials she'd killed probably had families too… No! Now was not the time to think about that. There was still one more potential victim to go.

This one was a khajiit. He called himself "an obtainer of goods, taker of lives and defiler of daughters." Erika wanted to put an arrow in his face straight away, but no,

_Restraint. _She thought. _Don't lose your head… _

"Have you not heard of me?" the khajiit asked. "Perhaps I will have my people carve my name in your corpse, as a reminder." The threat was the last straw. Erika drew back her bow and let loose an Iron arrow into the criminals head. Erika turned back to the assassin who had brought her to this house of horrors.

"The khajiit, hmm? Cat like that was bound to have enemies. Good choice…"

"So, was I right? Was it him?"

"Oh! No, no, no. Don't you understand? Guilt, innocence, right, wrong… Irrelevant. What matters is that I ordered you to kill someone, and you did."

"So… I'm free to go?"

"Of course. You've repaid your debt, after all." She threw Erika a small, golden key. Erika turned, wanting to leave the repulsive shack behind, to go home and try to leave behind the experience. But what the assassin said next reminded her that it wasn't that simple.

"But why stop there? I say we take our relationship to the next level. I would like to officially extend to you an invitation to join my family. The Dark Brotherhood." She handed Erika a small map of Skyrim, in the Falkreath hold there was a red circle.

"That's the map to our sanctuary." She said, getting off the bookshelf. She removed her hood, revealing her shoulder length blonde hair and the rest of her face.

"My name is Astrid. I'll see you at home, and your new life can begin." Astrid walked past Erika and produced a copy of the key to the door from one of the pockets on the leather armour she was wearing. She left, closing the door behind her. And leaving Erika to her thoughts.

* * *

_Long boring chapter is long and boring… I swear good stuff will happen. But you know how it is, the first couple of chapters introduce the character and get stuff set up and then the good stuff happens… That doesn't just happen to me, right XD? Also I'm looking for someone who would be willing to beta-read this fic. I'd really appreciate it because my spelling and grammar is abysmal and Spellcheck can only do so much ^.^"_

_I love reviews and critiques and such, so if you have a few moments I'd really appreciate it. Thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3: Sanctuary

**Chapter 3: Sanctuary**

"_Commander Maro, I have successfully joined the Dark Brotherhood."_

Erika stopped. What else could she write? There really wasn't much else to say. She'd joined the Brotherhood and was about to visit the sanctuary for the first time. But apart from that, she'd accomplished next to nothing. She sighed and threw her quill to the side and looked in the mirror of her room in Falkreath's tavern. Her eyes had become smouldering orange, as they always did when she went too long without feeding. She really wasn't in the mood to hunt. She had more important things on her mind. How could she send letters to Maro without raising the suspicions of the Brotherhood? How could she tell Cynric she was safe? Would she ever see him or her family again...? She took up her quill and finished her letter, trying to push her worries out of her mind.

"_I have the location of the Sanctuary, but don't know anything of the members of the Brotherhood. From, Erika"_

She headed out to the bar to find a courier. When not on business they were usually found in the local inn.

"Courier, I need this letter to get to Commander Maro of Solitude as fast as possible." Erika said to the scrawny imperial.

"Hundred and fifty Septims, please."

Erika frowned and reluctantly handed over the gold and sent him on his way. It was expensive, but that letter had to get to Maro quickly or he'd get suspicious as to why Erika hadn't contacted him. The Breton left the inn and began heading down the dark road, lit only by the full moons, to the location marked on the map Astrid had given her. On the back of the map Astrid had written two extra messages, the first was simple enough. _"Underneath the road, hidden from view." _It was obviously the location of the entrance to the sanctuary. The next was more cryptic. It simply said "_Silence, my brother."_ Its meaning had been on Erika's mind for the whole journey from the abandoned shack, but she couldn't work it out. Puzzles and riddles were never a strong point for Erika.

She walked for about ten minutes, unsure as to the exact location of the sanctuary's entrance. She stopped and looked around her, trying to pinpoint her location on the map. But something else caught her eye. Several bunches of nightshade were growing in clusters in the ditch along the side of the road.

"_That's strange."_ Her mother had been an avid gardener, and had taught Erika much about the plants and flowers of Skyrim during her youth. From what she could remember about this particular poisonous plant they usually grew well in marches or in graveyards, they were also a well-known symbol for… The Dark Brotherhood. She peered into the undergrowth and through the densely packed ferns and weeds and, down a slight hill; she could see what appeared to be a dusty trail. The Breton crept through the plants and onto the narrow trail on the other side. A short way down the path, it disappeared into a rocky tunnel under the road above, just as the note from Astrid had said. The tunnel had nightshade plants growing in dense clumps around the entrance. Erika took a deep breath and headed in, only to find an eerie black door engraved with a skull. Her brow furrowed in confusion. Was she supposed to knock? She lifted her hand to do so when a sudden, unearthly whisper filled her, chilling her to the bone.

"What is the music of life?" the voice asked. Erika couldn't tell if it was real or just a voice inside her head.

"Um… The lute? Drums? A… Choir? I don't know!" she said, a little frustrated. No one told her she'd need to pass some cryptic test to get inside.

The voice fell silent. Erika knocked on the door. Nothing.

"Hello! It's me, Erika." No response.

"_Gods damn it…_" She walked out of the cave and sat on one of the large rocks, the night was freezing cold and her old leather armour provided little protection from the chilling air. She'd left her warmer fur armour in the wardrobe in the tavern, along with her potions and poisons, food and her elven dagger. The dagger she didn't really care about. She'd never used it and carrying it was starting to feel like a waste of space in her bag, but she wished she'd brought some of the potions. She'd assumed her wouldn't need them anymore. She pulled out the map and stared at it. She'd defiantly found the right place, she'd recognised the handprint as the symbol of the Dark Brotherhood. She flipped over the piece of paper.

"_Silence my brother…" I wonder…"_ Erika stood and returned to the black door.

"Mister… um... Door, I wish to accept your riddle challenge." Erika said, unsure how to have the door speak again, whatever she said, it worked.

"What is the music of life?"

"Silence, my brother."

"Welcome home." The lock keeping the door closed clicked and the door swung open.

Erika grinned, proud of herself despite practically having the answer handed to her. She headed down the stone steps, dimly lit by candles sitting in alcoves hung with banners adorning the black handprint. Erika was getting nervous now. It was only as she descended the flight of stairs that she realised what she was getting into. She'd have to tread very carefully from here on. If the Brotherhood found out that she was passing information to the Legion, they'd kill her without a second thought. She'd have no chance of fighting her way out; these were, after all, trained assassins. Whilst Erika was competent with her bow, she wouldn't have enough space in the sanctuary to fight successfully and using melee combat was practically suicide; her short stature and weak physical strength made sure of that. She hadn't planned far enough ahead. She'd been so focused on getting into the Brotherhood that she hadn't thought about getting out.

She tried to push these thoughts out of her head as she stepped into the first room of the sanctuary. It seemed to be a study; one wall was lined with shelves stocked with various books and candles. There was also a stone desk and a large map of Skyrim. The Nord from the abandoned shack who called herself Astrid was leaning on the desk, deep in conversation with… A little girl. Erika frowned and stuck to the shadows, trying to listen to the conversation.

"They've been too quiet lately, it's… Worrying to say the least."

"Come on, Astrid, your being way to paranoid. Can't you just be happy that we're finally being left alone?"

"I would have thought you'd show more concern, Babette. You know better than anyone how damn dangerous the Penitus Oculatus can be."

Erika bit her lip, so they already knew the Imperials were after them. But surely they didn't know that Erika was an imposter, they couldn't.

"_I hope". _She thought.

"Look, I don't think we should be so terrified-" The child stopped and peered over Astrid's shoulder into the gloom were Erika stood. No point in hiding now. She stepped into the light cast by the candles dotted in clusters around the room.

"Um… Hello." She said tentatively.

"Ahh… You've finally arrived. I hope you found the place alright." The blonde Nord said.

"Well, you failed to mention the creepy talking door, but apart from that yeah."

The little girl laughed.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to talking inanimate objects soon enough." She said with a smirk.

"W-Wait, what?" Erika frowned, now even more confused.

"That's a story for another time. Babette, why don't you show our new sister where she'll be staying?" Astrid said to the little Breton girl.

"Okay. What's your name?" Babette asked, a sly grin on her face.

"I'm Erika Ciel."

It was the little girls turn to look surprised.

"Oh, is that so…" She trailed off, looking deep in thought. She snapped herself out of it moments later, the grin returning to her face as she took Erika by the hand and pulled her down a second flight of stone stairs and into a large, open cavern. The cavern had several other doorways and corridors to explore.

"I'm sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Babette. And no, I'm not a child. I'm older then you. A lot older. Being bitten by a vampire at ten-years-old will do that to a girl. Not that I need to tell you. How old are you?"

"Well, um… Actually I only became a vampire two years ago, so I'm twenty seven." Erika answered, taken aback by the vampire.

"Then you have a lot to learn. Don't worry, I'll teach you the ins and outs of vampirism. It'll be good to have one of my own kind around again."

"There used to be other vampires here?"

"Yup. Not just vampires, though. Werewolves, wizards, man and mer. The Brotherhood aren't just assassins, we're a family. You'll meet everyone else soon enough; most of them are probably eating dinner in the kitchen. Nazir is cooking today; his food is to die for. I'll show you to the bedrooms and the springs where we bathe."

"You have a spring down here? And bedrooms?"

"Well, the separate bedrooms were a more recent addition. Festus, one of our members, was complaining of not being able to sleep. He'd practically been begging Astrid to put up walls or something of the sort for years. We hadn't had the funds, unfortunately. But with the war and tensions running at an all-time high in Skyrim, we've been getting a lot more contracts, thus a lot more money and we've finally got separate rooms. And as for the spring it's just over there." Babette pointed towards a small pool with a waterfall crashing into it. Erika could see steam rising from the warm water.

"It's a natural hot spring, so we don't have to keep it warm with magic or anything. The pool is bigger than it looks, it continues behind the waterfall in a sort of smaller cave, just head through that door there," She gestured to a wooden door beside the pool.

"It's one of the finer luxuries we have here. Not that we have many." Babette said, as they headed towards the bedrooms. The corridors connecting various parts of the sanctuary were narrow and the roof was low.

"_Not pleasant if you hate small spaces." _Erika thought. Her face fell. Her brother hated small spaces. Thinking of him was like a smack in the face. She couldn't get comfortable here. No matter how welcoming Babette or anyone else was.

"_I have to focus. Do what has to be done and get out."_

* * *

"She didn't talk much. I just showed her around."

"But she must have said something about herself. Anything about where she's from, what she wants from us?"

"No." Babette said, not really paying attention to the conversation.

The assassins were in the kitchen, the table littered with empty plates after dinner. This was usually when they discussed various businesses such as new contracts or - such as today - new members. Astrid sighed; she had been foolish inviting Erika into the Brotherhood. She was a complete stranger, and Babette had found out nothing from talking to her. This was what worried Astrid. Usually if she was going to invite someone to join the Brotherhood she would have them watched carefully for several months, inquire about them. Determine their skills and whether or not she'd be able to trust them. She'd know almost everything about a potential recruit before even contacting them. She looked at her fellow assassins sitting around the large table, each one – except Babette – handpicked by her. She knew almost everything about all of them and that was how she liked it. She knew their individual strengths and weaknesses, their pasts and what they wanted from the future. But they weren't just pawns in some game, they were her friends and family and she didn't even want to think about how this idiotic choice of hers could get them all hurt. Or worse.

"Well, as long as we keep a close eye on her I doubt she'll cause much trouble," This came from Veezara. A quiet and intelligent Argonian, he preferred to use his wits while completing contracts rather than combat, but he was a good fighter when the situation called for it.

"From what Babette has told us I doubt she would last long in a brawl with all of us against her."

"Defiantly," Babette said "she's barely taller than me and from what I saw she only carried a bow. No swords or anything like that."

"She is a Breton. She could use magic." Astrid said.

"If she did use magic in combat then why would she carry a bow? Using archery would leave no hands free to wield spells. That wouldn't make any sense" Festus added. He was old, and a grumpy bastard at times, but he knew what he was talking about when it came to the arcane and what he was saying certainly seemed logical.

"Are there any spells or types of magic that could be used without her hands?"

"Well, there's the old Nordic Thu'um. But they can only be learned by Nords who train for years with the Greybeards at High Hrothgar. Babette said she's only twenty seven and that's far too young. Even a Nord wouldn't grasp a concept as ancient and powerful as the Thu'um in such a short space of time. The only possible way she could use the Thu'um is if she was Dragonborn and I highly, _highly_ doubt she's Dragonborn."

"Okay, that's good," Astrid said. She relaxed a little. If Erika did turn on them, the Brotherhood had the upper hand in almost every way.

"Moving on, I got a letter from the Night Mother's Keeper saying they will arrive in a few days, does anyone have anything to say about that?"

"Yeah, I do." Arnbjorn growled.

"By Sithis, not this again."

"Yes, this again. One minute you're complaining about a new member and then you tell us you're still going to let this Keeper into our Sanctuary."

Astrid closed her eyes and ran a hand through her short hair.

"I've explained this to you, Arnbjorn. The Keeper is someone who dedicates their life to the Dark Brotherhood and is one of its most important members. We're the last sanctuary in Tamriel and it would be a disgrace to turn the Night Mother and Keeper away. And if he has dedicated his life to the Brotherhood, why would he betray us or cause us harm?"

"That's not the point," he snapped "You're being a hypocrite. You're complaining about this new recruit, acting completely paranoid and regretting allowing her to join. Then on the other hand you're just letting some random stranger walk right into our home when you know absolutely nothing about him other then he's the Keeper. Even though I've been warning you ever since he first contacted you. I've told you over and over not to trust this guy and you refuse to listen to me."

"Can we please not talk about his right now?" Astrid hissed. The couple had been arguing over the Keepers coming to the sanctuary ever since Astrid had first gotten the letter. Arnbjorn didn't like change, and he was convinced the arrival of the Keeper could only be a bad thing. That he would come and turn their family into an evil cult, bringing them back to the old ways that had almost gotten the Brotherhood destroyed. Astrid understood his reluctance, but even though she had cast some of the old traditions from the past aside, she still had to respect them. The fact that the Brotherhood had history and traditions was what separated them from common thugs, so while their family didn't follow them as strictly anymore, they couldn't ignore them completely. But she was determined to continue to lead the Brotherhood on her own terms, she may respect the old ways but she wasn't going to bow to them.

"I don't know what allowing the Keeper into the sanctuary will do," Astrid said to the group in front of her "But I promise you that nothing will change. I'll still lead. We'll still complete the contracts that come in. All that will change is the amount of food we'll cook for dinner. Now if that's everything I think we're done here."

The group rose from their chairs, said their good nights and the small crowd slowly dispersed until it was only Astrid, Arnbjorn and Babette remaining.

"I still think this is a bad idea" Arnbjorn said quietly, more to himself then to his wife.

"I know, but please trust me. I know what I'm doing," She said, putting a reassuring hand on his arm. "Go to bed, I need to speak with Babette."

Arnbjorn nodded and left, leaving Astrid alone with the vampire. Babette was still sitting at the table, reading a book on rare alchemy ingredients. She didn't need as much sleep as the rest of the assassins and often stayed up for days on end, reading or quietly conducting alchemy experiments through the night. She looked up from her book as Astrid sat down next to her.

"I trust you," she said "We may not know much about this Keeper, but if your confident in letting him join, then so am I."

"Thank you, it's good to know that I'll always have someone who trusts me." They both smiled. They were close friends, the last members of the old Brotherhood before it was destroyed by the Penitus Oculatus attack ten years ago. Most of their fellow assassins had been killed trying to defend their sanctuary. In the end, only two prisoners survived, Astrid and Babette. Babette had pulled the "I was captured by these assassins after they murdered my parents" trick. Babette had seen the Brotherhood fall three times before at the hands of the Empire. She'd used the same excuse before and luckily, it worked again.

Astrid had been seventeen and was convinced she would be executed. Babette, determined to keep at least one of her associates alive, was able to convince the guards that Astrid was her older sister. It had taken a lot of effort on Babette's end; she could have simply walked out of Solitude and left Astrid to her fate. But she stayed for almost two weeks without feeding, coming to the dungeons every day to beg for her friend's release. By the end of the ordeal they walked out of Solitude, weakened both physically and emotionally but alive.

Both were saddened by the loss of their friends, but they didn't have the luxury to dwell on their deaths. They were the only remaining members left alive in Skyrim, and two wasn't good enough. They set out finding new recruits and rebuilding a safer, more secure sanctuary in Falkreath. The old Brotherhood had about fifty members and some of the assassins had never even spoken to each other. The current members of the Brotherhood was a lot smaller, but the members were closer, a real family. The current members all had their own stories to tell, most of them tragic. Joining had, for most of them, been a welcome chance to start a new life, a chance to leave the mistakes of the past behind and begin again with a new home and family. A lot of the members never told their story. It made it easier to let go of the life so many of them wished to forget.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" the vampire asked.

"You've been acting strangely all day. You barely spoke at dinner and you've been staring into space for most of the evening. What's wrong?"

"It's the new girl," said Babette with a sigh "It's just; I could swear I've met her before. There's something familiar about her and I can't figure out what it is." she shook her head. "But it's ridiculous. It doesn't matter, just a weird feeling I got when I first saw her. That's all."

Astrid looked at her friend with concern. This was clearly bothering the vampire, the tone of her voice and faraway look in her red eyes betrayed her.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"No, I'm fine."

Astrid stood up and headed off to bed. What Babette had said about Erika worried her. Her showing up had a strange effect the vampire. Babette had never acted so… disconnected. She lay on her bed and pulled the warm furs around her. She was tired, but what Babette had said kept replaying in her head, keeping her awake for hours.

* * *

_A.N: So I've finally finished this chapter. I already know how I'm going to end this story but I didn't know how I was going to get there. But I do now! I've planned out this story in my head and know exactly how to get from A to B now. So that's why this chapter took a while to write ^.^; I'm also still looking for a Beta reader to correct my grammar and spelling because, like I said before, MS word only does so much. Someone offered to do it in the reviews but it came up as a Guest so I can't send you the chapters ;.; If you're reading this I'd really appreciate it if you could send me a message! I love reviews and feedback, constructive criticism is welcome. Thank you for reading! ^.^_


	4. Chapter 4: Contract

**Chapter 4: Contract**

Erika settled into life in the Sanctuary quickly. She watched her new family members come and go on contracts, always leaving her behind. Not that she was complaining. She wasn't looking forward to taking her first innocent life; nevertheless, that day would eventually have to come if she was going to be accepted by these assassins. The past few days had been enjoyable; Erika had spent most of that time getting to know everyone in the Sanctuary. Gabrella and Festus had both studied at the College of Winterhold and Erika enjoyed hearing their stories, and Veezara, an Argonian, had taught her a few tricks with a bow while discussing their lives before the Brotherhood. He told her about his past as a Shadowscale in Black Marsh, how he'd been trained as an assassin since childhood, this training showed when he picked up a weapon. He was deadly while dual-wielding swords, with a bow, even his bare fists.

"Aim just below the target. The arrow will travel in an arc and strike just above the point your aiming at."

Erika pulled back the string of the bow and, aiming just below the chest of the training dummy, let the arrow fly. It buried itself deep in the centre of the chest. Veezara smiled as he walked towards it and pulled the arrow out.

"A direct hit, I'm impressed. You learn quickly, that's good. Keep practicing and you'll be a fine archer soon."

Erika smiled. "Thanks. I think I'll stop for now though. I want to have a bath before dinner."

Veezara nodded as the Breton put down the hunting bow and dashing off through the alchemy room, into the kitchen and up the stairs to the bedrooms. She'd gotten stuck with the room farthest to the left, just above the kitchens. It was also the smallest room and barely had room for the bed and small wardrobe it contained. Erika pulled off her new shrouded armour and tossed it on her bed before pulling on a light, blue robe to wear after her bath. She slipped into it and a pair of shoes and made her way down to the springs. She opened the wooden door slowly, making sure no-one was already there. Once sure she was alone she stepped into the warm spring. The water was warm and relaxing, unlike in In Riften, where most people bathed in the lake. Except for the wealthy residents like the Black-Briers. She frowned when she thought of them. So many people in Skyrim complained about Riften being an awful place to live when half the problem was that damn family. They were constantly pulling threads to get what they want, not caring who they hurt in the process. They disgusted Erika, at least her friends in the Thieves Guild had some honour and cared for each other. Maven Black-Brier would stab you in the back as soon as look at you.

The warm water rinsed the remaining soap out of her hair as her finger lightly traced the long scar that trailed across her body. She couldn't remember where she'd gotten it, and considering the size of the thing, that was surprising. The scar reached from her shoulder to her waist before looping around and going up her back, it looked like she'd been sliced in half and sown back together again. Erika tried to ignore it

"_It never hurts or bothers me, so why waste time fussing over it_." she though as she pulled herself out of the spring, drying off and pulling her robe on. She'd just finished tying up her hair when she heard a light knock on the door.

"Oh, Astrid, is something wrong?" she said as she opened the door, the blonde Nord in question leaned against the door frame

"No, nothing's wrong. But just before we go to eat I wanted to ask you something. You haven't gone on any contracts yet, have you?"

"Well, no, I haven't, but I'd rather-"

"Excellent" Astrid interrupted "I'm going out to Markarth on a contract tomorrow and I thought you might want to come."

"Yes, alright then." Erika said trying not to let her reluctance show. She knew she'd have to start killing at some point and she wasn't looking forward to it, but she never thought it would be so soon.

"Good, I want to leave early and try to be in Markarth by late morning. I was planning on setting out at dawn. Is that okay?"

"Yes, that's fine with me."

"Then it's settled. Shall we join the others for dinner? Nazir cooked today and his food is always wonderful."

The Breton licked her lips at the thought of the Redguard's cooking. Sure, she was a vampire, and she'd never been a fan of the traditional spicy recipes of Hammerfell to begin with but Nazir was a great cook and Erika had quickly grown to love his food. They headed to the kitchen together where most of the Brotherhood were eating and chatting about recent contracts and whatever other antics they'd gotten into that day. Once she'd helped herself to a bowl of the spicy stew Erika went to take her usual seat between Veezara and Gabriella, only to feel someone lightly grab her wrist. She turned and met Astrid's sapphire coloured eyes.

"I want to talk to you about this contract tomorrow. Just about where we're going and what we'll be doing. It won't take long."

"Oh. Um, okay." Erika wasn't usually so nervous around people, but since her first day at the Sanctuary she'd found Astrid intimidating to say the least. She seemed to radiate an authority that almost reminded Erika of being back in the army. Respect for your superiors was something both the Rebels and the Dark Brotherhood had in common, and anyone who dared talk back to or ignore a superior in the Stormcloaks were severely punished, usually by death. But considering how "creative" some of these assassins were she didn't find it hard to believe a fate worse than death would await those who disrespected, or worse betrayed, their fellow members of the Brotherhood. That thought terrified.

Astrid pulled out a chair for Erika before taking her own seat beside her.

"First of all, the woman who contacted us, Muiri, is in Markarth, but the actual contract himself is near Windhelm. Obviously this isn't the best arrangement in the world, it will mean more travelling, more time, and most likely spending more gold then I had originally intended, but it's not the end of the world. I'm sure she'll pay well. We'll head out tomorrow at dawn, like I said earlier, and try to speak to Muiri before noon. We'll then travel to Whiterun via carriage, spend the night there and press on to Windhelm the next day. Any questions so far?"

Erika shook her head.

"Good. Once we get to Windhelm we'll plan where to go from there. I don't like planning too far ahead just in case something unexpected happens. But I'm sure everything will be fine, it sounds like a relatively straightforward contract." Astrid looked closely at Erika. The newest addition to their dwindling family was a living contradiction; she'd spent most of her time talking to her new colleagues, but revealed nothing about herself (apart from the fact that she'd once been a solider, weather she was an Imperial or a Rebel, Astrid didn't know). She'd portrayed herself as stubborn and headstrong one moment, and timid and polite the next. She'd killed both in the in the army and when helping the Aretino boy in Windhelm, yet she didn't seem very eager to go on this contract.

Apart from Astrid, the only person this bothered was Babette. Her friend had been avoiding Erika like the plague since her arrival. Usually Babette welcomed new members with open arms and spent time trying to learn more about them. But this time she'd spent most of her time locked away in her room reading, emerging only to head out to Falkreath to satisfy her thirst for blood. Although Astrid was concerned about her friend she tried to push the situation out of her mind, she'd come around eventually.

"Um… If you don't mind I'm going to bed. I'll have to sleep if we're leaving so early tomorrow." Erika said.

Astrid nodded.

"I'd better go too, then. I'll see you in the morning." They both left quietly, hoping no one noticed.

* * *

_**Note:**__ Apologies for the very late update and short chapter. My computer broke and I lost most of my files, I wanted this chapter to have the trip to Markarth and the assassinations of Alain and Nilsine and I had most it written until bam! My computer picks up a virus from Talos knows where and I lost nearly all my files. I only got it back a few days ago and decided to just write a short chapter so anyone who reads this know I'm still alive XD! I didn't get this chapter beta read because it's so short and I might replace it with what I intended to be the full chapter when it's done. I promise the next chapter will be a lot more interesting. Thanks for reading!_


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